Dr Hao Li graduated from the Southern Medical University, China with a MD in Clinical Medicine. Then he earned his PhD in Neurosurgery at Capital Medical University and is now a neurosurgeon at Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University. He investigates the pathogenesis of cerebral vascular disease and especially focuses on the genetic alterations under these disorders. His new interest is to unveil the atlas of cerebral diseases by utilizing single cell sequencing and to identify new targets to prevent the progression of cerebral vascular diseases.

Yoonhee Nam earned her BS in Biochemistry from Purdue University where she assisted in the synthesis of protein linkers at Dr Philip S. Low’s lab. She then moved on to study computational biology and is now a PhD candidate in the lab of Dr Jiguang Wang at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Her research is focused on genomic data analysis for the improvement of cancer treatments and studying the pathogenesis of brain vascular diseases. Outside the lab, she enjoys exploring new places with family and friends.

Dr Rebecca Porritt is a faculty research scientist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on understanding the immunopathogenesis of vasculitis diseases including Kawasaki Disease (KD) vasculitis. Supported by an AHA career development award, Dr Porritt has investigated the immune-stromal interactions driving KD cardiovascular lesion development and underlying sex differences in KD prevalence. More recently, Dr Porritt has studied Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a condition associated with COVID-19. This effort identified a unique HLA class I-associated TCR signature and autoimmune profile in patients with the severe form of the disease.

Xiaodong Liang is currently a PhD student at Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University of China, under the supervision of Dr Bing Zhang. She earned her BS in Biological Science from Xinyang Normal University in 2016. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanism underlying endothelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EndMT) and EndMT-relevant valve development and identifying key transcription factors regulating angiogenesis. After finishing her PhD study, she plans to work in the innovative medicine field. Outside the lab, she enjoys sports, traveling and photography. Her favorite motto is “If your conscience is clear, then never fear.”

Shuo Wu is a MS student in the Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University of China. He earned his BS in Science and Technology from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. His research interest is exploring the molecular mechanism of congenital heart disease and inventing potential therapies with Dr Bing Zhang as his mentor. He is passionate about helping people who are suffering from cardiovascular diseases. His favorite saying is “Grasp all, lose all”. Outside of work, he enjoys jogging.

Dr Zhenhua Li is currently an assistant investigator in the genetic laboratory of development and disease at the National Center for Protein Sciences. He earned his PhD in Genetics in 2016, focusing on the effects of miRNA on cardiomyocyte autophagy and cardiac hypertrophy, under the mentorship of Dr Xiao Yang. The research published in this issue reveals the role of PRMT5-regulated O-GlcNAcylation in dilated cardiomyopathy, providing a new understanding of this disease. In the future, he will continue to study novel mechanisms for maintaining cardiac homeostasis and explore potential therapeutic targets for human heart diseases.

Jingping Xu is a second year PhD student under the supervision of Dr Xiao Yang in the genetic laboratory of development and disease at the National Center for Protein Sciences. She earned her BS from Zhengzhou University. She has devoted herself to explore new therapeutic targets for the treatment of cardiac diseases. Currently, her research primarily focuses on better understanding the mechanisms of cardiac homeostasis maintenance. She enjoys practicing calligraphy for relaxing and thinking.

Dr Grace K. Muller is an Instructor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she completed her postdoctoral training with Dr David Kass. Dr Muller earned her doctorate from Yale University, and BS from Cornell University. She investigates cyclic nucleotide signaling using myocytes as a model system. Ever fascinated by the first organ that develops in the embryo, Dr Muller completed the featured study while carrying and after delivering her first child. It was not easy, and she needed a lot of grace. Dr Muller wishes to nevertheless encourage new-parent scientists that being a young investigator and being a new parent are compatible roles. She’s happy to chat with others undergoing personhood-to-parenthood transition. Find her on Twitter @GraceKMuller.

Dr Richard G. Jung is a medical student at the University of Ottawa who recently completed his PhD studies under the supervision of Dr Benjamin Hibbert at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Ottawa, Canada. He earned his BS in Biochemistry from the University of Manitoba. His research interests include translational research following percutaneous coronary intervention and structural heart interventions. Dr Jung plans on pursuing further training in internal medicine with the goal of becoming a clinician-scientist. He has an interest in meta-research and methodologies to improve translational science.